Honestly, if you haven't spent a rainy Tuesday morning staring at a pixelated nest on your second monitor, are you even from Pittsburgh? It’s basically a local rite of passage. But lately, things have been weird. If you’ve searched for the eagle cam in Pittsburgh recently, you might have noticed the familiar Hays hillside looking a little... empty.
Nature doesn't care about our streaming schedules. That's the first thing you learn.
For years, we had it easy. The Hays eagles were the celebrities of the Monongahela. They were the first pair to nest within city limits in over 150 years, showing up back in 2013 like they owned the place. But after their nest collapsed during a nasty storm in the summer of 2024, the "Hays" eagles aren't actually in Hays anymore. They’ve moved across the river to Glen Hazel.
The Great Relocation of 2025
You can’t just put a camera in a tree and call it a day. When the pair hopped across the Mon to rebuild in a sycamore on Housing Authority property, the team at PixCams and the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania (ASWP) had to start from scratch. It wasn't just about finding the birds; it was a logistical nightmare involving state permits, power lines, and expert climbers braving winter winds.
As of mid-January 2026, the new camera is officially live. It’s a relief, really. We spent all of last year wondering if they’d even come back. Amateur photographers eventually spotted them in Glen Hazel with two healthy eaglets in the spring of 2025, but we were watching from the ground like it was the 19th century.
Now, the high-def view is back, and the timing couldn't be better. We're right on the edge of "egg season."
Why the Eagle Cam in Pittsburgh is Addictive
It’s not just about birds. It’s the drama. We’ve seen it all:
- Intruder eagles trying to swoop the nest.
- The "Great Rat Poison Scare" of 2014 where the community almost rioted to protect the birds.
- The heartbreak of eggs that just don't hatch.
Last year at the U.S. Steel Irvin Plant nest in West Mifflin, we watched Irvin (the male) and Stella (the female) navigate the industrial landscape. Just last week, Irvin hauled in a Y-shaped stick so big he nearly knocked himself off the branch. It’s the kind of clumsy, real-life engineering you just don't see on National Geographic.
The Science Behind the Stream
Why do we care so much? Rachel Handel from ASWP often points out that these birds are indicators of how clean our rivers are. If the fish in the Monongahela and Allegheny are healthy enough to support a family of raptors with 7-foot wingspans, we’re doing something right.
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But don't get it twisted—these aren't pets. One of the biggest misconceptions people have when watching the eagle cam in Pittsburgh is that we should "intervene" if something goes wrong. If a chick is struggling or a sibling is being a bully, the chat room goes into a tailspin.
The reality? The Pennsylvania Game Commission has a strict hands-off policy. Unless it’s a human-caused injury (like being hit by a car or lead poisoning), nature takes its course. It’s brutal, yeah, but it's the truth.
Where to Watch Right Now
If you’re looking to kill a few hours (or a whole workday), you’ve got two main options in the 412:
- The Glen Hazel Nest (formerly Hays): This is the "O.G." pair. They moved across the river but they’re still the stars. You can find them on the PixCams website or their YouTube channel.
- The U.S. Steel Irvin Plant Cam: Located in West Mifflin. These birds are metal—literally. They live on a bustling industrial site and don't seem to mind the noise one bit.
Most people don't realize that nesting season starts way earlier than you'd think. While we're still scraping ice off our windshields in February, these eagles are already laying eggs. By March, we’re usually on "hatch watch."
A Quick Reality Check on Nest Life
Eagles aren't exactly the "noble" symbols we see on coins. They’re kind of gross. They bring half-eaten fish into the nest, they "pspsps" (eaglet-speak for shooting poop out of the nest) everywhere, and they’ll eat a squirrel if the fishing is bad.
It’s also surprisingly quiet. Until it isn't. The BirdNET-Pi technology PixCams uses now lets us hear their "chatter" even at night. It turns out they’re pretty vocal when they’re roosting together, which is a great sign for pair bonding.
How to Be a Responsible "Camer"
If you’re going to follow the eagle cam in Pittsburgh, there are a few unspoken rules. First, don't share the exact GPS coordinates of new nests on social media. You’ll get roasted by the birding community, and for good reason—human crowds stress the birds out.
Second, if you visit the Hays trail to see them in person, bring binoculars. The nest is way higher up than it looks on your phone screen.
Third, stay patient. You might tune in and see a pile of sticks for three hours. Then, suddenly, an adult swoops in with a fresh catch, and the whole chat room loses its mind. That’s the magic of it.
The resilience of these birds is sort of a metaphor for the city itself. The Hays nest falls down? They cross the river and build a better one. The weather is garbage? They sit on those eggs through six inches of snow without flinching.
We're lucky to have a front-row seat to that kind of grit.
Actionable Steps for the Season
- Bookmark the live feeds: Save the PixCams and ASWP pages now so you don't miss the first egg, which usually drops in mid-to-late February.
- Join the community: The Facebook groups and YouTube chats are where the real-time updates happen. If you see a "pip" (the first crack in an egg), tell someone!
- Check your gear: If you're heading to the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail to see the old Hays site or the new Glen Hazel view from across the water, make sure you have a lens with at least 400mm reach if you're taking photos.
- Support local conservation: These cameras aren't free to run. If you enjoy the stream, consider a small donation to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania to keep the solar panels clean and the bandwidth paid for.